Before and After: September’s Top Makeovers Featured Floor: Dream Home Rocky Mountain Maple Fall Flooring Season: Gray Gallery Collection Customer Transformations: September 5 – 9 When installing hardwood floors, you want to protect your investment whether it’s a $0.69 laminate or a $6.69 exotic hardwood.  Moisture is a big concern for flooring, you definitely don’t want it!  And we’re not just talking about some water spilling or snow being tracked through the house (although, to help with that, we do recommend putting down rugs at home entrances and in front of sinks).  Moisture can come up through your subfloor, especially if you are installing over concrete or below-grade.  A moisture barrier is need to protect the flooring against moisture or moisture vapor.  Along with the moisture barrier, you may want to install an underlayment.  It insulates and cushions the flooring, making it more comfortable to walk on. For moisture barriers, there are three basic methods of protection:

Nail Down Installations – In crawl spaces under the subfloor, 6 mil poly sheeting plastic should be placed over the dirt.  IN addition, a 15 lb felt paper should be placed between the sub-floor and the new hardwood flooring. Glue Down Installations – When gluing down wood to concrete, a moisture barrier is almost always needed, especially below-grade.  Usually, a trowel applied product is recommended, such as Bostiks MVP or Mapei’s WFM. Floating Floor Installations – When installing laminate or other floating floors over cement, VCT, ceramic tiles, or kitchen vinyl, use 6 mil poly sheeting plastic as the moisture barrier.  Omit plastic when covering bare wood subfloors thereby allowing the subfloor to breathe. Some underlayments have a built in moisture barrier.  These are typically used for floating floor applications.  If you live in a condo, many have association rules regarding noise levels.  Underlayments can really help absorb sound.  As well, they can insulate the floor, leaving it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. 

Cork is especially popular for these types of applications. One thing to consider when choosing an underlayment is that in this case, too much can be a bad thing.  Installing laminate that already have a pad pre-attached over another underlayment is not recommended.  Too much padding material can actually lead to a weakening of the joints from the underside resulting in the floor seperating.  Puppies For Sale In Gibraltar SpainOur laminate that have a pad pre-attached have been tested for both sound suppression and support of the locking system and are sufficient.  Arctic Cat 450 Atv ReviewsHowever, for customer wanting extra sound isolation and thermo properties, our cork underlayments are perfect for use under laminates with or without a pre-attached pad.  Vinyl Flooring Malaysia

The Quiet Walk (which has a built in moisture barrier) and Insulayment underlayment would also be appropriate. Both moisture barriers and underlayments are important parts of your floor.  Make sure you find out what works best with your needs to have the best experience you can with your beautiful new floors! accessories Insulation moisture barrier Sound underlaymentLaminate Underlayment OptionsLaminate FlooringFlooring How-Tos NATURAL VALUES II PLUS Underlayment All-Stars: Selitac and Silent-Step Ultra Selitac Thermally Insulating Laminate Flooring Underlayment* easy to cut, easy to lay, easy to lock enhances peace, quiet, and comfort of your home moisture and vapor resistant *Requires the use of SelistopTM Aluminum Foil Shaw Silent-Step Ultra Laminate Flooring Underlayment ideal thickness for comfort and stability provides superior sound absorption and the most realistic hardwood walk-sound available appropriate for use over concrete or wood substrates on all grade levels

superior sub floor moisture resistance fast and easy installation made in the USA The JV Team: SofSound II, 2-in-1 Foam and Foam SofSound II Laminate Flooring Underlayment synthetic fiber blend with a laminated polyethylene moisture retardant barrier made from 100% post-industrial fiber waste strong film-to-pad bond for enhanced performance and ease of use approved over radiant heat Shaw 2-in-1 Foam Laminate Flooring Underlayment for use over concrete or wood substrates on all grade levels moisture barrier to protect your flooring Shaw Foam Laminate Flooring Underlayment for use on or above ground level over a wood subfloor Moisture Defense: VersaShield and VersaShield MBX Suppresses extreme moisture emission levels in concrete up to 95% RH Saves installation time and money by as much as 85% Quick and easy to install with no mixing, special tools or cleanup required Mold and fungus resistant Consists of polymeric mineral top coating and internal patented fiberglass mat

Protects against alkalinity and promotes flooring adhesion 10 Year Limited Warranty suppresses extreme moisture emission levels in concrete up to 99% saves installation time and money by as much as 85% quick and easy to install with no mixing, special tools or cleanup required mold and fungus resistant consists of polymeric mineral top coating and internal patented fiberglass mat protects against alkalinity and promotes flooring adhesion Try Prime free for 30 days. See other buying options from other sellers. exclusively for Prime members. Buy "Roberts 70-025 Unison 2-In-1 Underlayment, For Lam...” from Amazon Open-Box & Used and save 42% off the $28.98 list price. 48 x 6 x 6 inches 100 Sq. Ft Roll Easy to Install, Removable Will replace if product contains manufacturing defects. #36,040 in Home Improvements (See top 100) #12 in Home Improvement > Building Supplies > Building Materials > Flooring > Accessories > Underlayments

Arrived perfect and $8 cheaper a roll vs Lowes.. The underpayment does weaken sound over flooring. However, the sound it does emit is like really thick cellophane (like a plastic crinkling noise that sound nothing like wood, but... you can't beat the value of this product. Used this under our new laminate flooring. Worth waiting a few days for shipping to pay less than the local big box store. Such a great price and super simple to install. This worked perfect for under our laminate floor. 2 in 1 underlayment. Don't spend all the extra money for the more expensive underlayments. Worked great, no issues, very rugged and reliable.Adds about 1/8 or so of cushion. Easy install and great quality. Best price I found. About half the price of the local stores. Laminate Flooring UNDERLAYMENT with Vapor Barrier 3in1 Foam 3mm Thick 200 sq.ft Roberts 70-010-XL QEP Roll of Serenity XL Polyethylene Foam Laminate Underlayment, 400 Square Feet First Step 630-Square Foot Roll Underlayment